Daily postings from the Keystone State Education Coalition now reach more than 3100 Pennsylvania education policymakers – school directors, administrators, legislators, legislative and congressional staffers, Governor's staff, current/former PA Secretaries of Education, PTO/PTA officers, parent advocates, teacher leaders, education professors, members of the press and a broad array of P-16 regulatory agencies, professional associations and education advocacy organizations via emails, website, Facebook and Twitter

These daily emails are archived and searchable at http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.org

Visit us on Facebook at KeystoneStateEducationCoalition

Follow us on Twitter at @lfeinberg

The Keystone State Education Coalition is pleased to be listed among the friends and allies of The Network for Public Education. Are you a member?

On Tuesday, February 4th, the Governor will be presenting his proposal for the budget, kicking off “budget season” in Harrisburg. Will you be tweeting about the PA budget? Use the #EducationPA and #PABudget hashtags together.

Keystone State Education Coalition

Pennsylvania Education Policy Roundup for February 2, 2014:

In New York, a different type of school choice…..

Groundhog Day 2014: The early crowd flocks to Gobbler's Knob awaiting Punxsutawney Phil's looming ascension

By Anna Orso | aorso@pennlive.com on February 02, 2014 at 4:32 AM, updated February 02, 2014 at 4:37 AM

GOBBLER'™S KNOB -- Kim Pannelle said the way her fiancé proposed to her recently was special, but part of her wishes he would have asked for her hand in marriage here in the home of Punxsutawney Phil. "Groundhog Day is like my Christmas," Pannelle, a six-year Groundhog Day veteran from Leominster, Mass. said just before 4 a.m. Sunday. Pannelle, there with her fiancé Jim Fenwick, was one of thousands who had already poured into Gobbler's Knob for Groundhog Day in the wee hours of the morning on Feb. 2. By 7:25 a.m., the world-famous weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil will ascend from his burrow and, according to lore, predict when spring will come.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/groundhog_day_2014_the_early_c.html#incart_river

“The issue is not a new one. Yes, it’s Groundhog Day. Yes, you’ve heard the argument before. You’re about to hear it again. But this time the voice offering hope for struggling districts will come from the governor’s mansion – we hope.”

Editorial: ‘Keystones' goal: Education funding, property tax reform

Delco Times Editorial POSTED: 02/01/14, 9:11 PM EST |

First in a year-long series of editorials from the editorial board of Digital First Media newspapers in Pennsylvania focusing on the crucial ‘Keystone’ issues of education and property taxes.

Gov. Tom Corbett is ready to talk turkey when it comes to education funding in Pennsylvania.

Brace yourself, governor. We could not agree more.

In fact, we feel so strongly about the state of education funding in Pennsylvania we have decided to make it the focus of a yearlong editorial project called “The Keystones: Education Funding and Property Taxes.”

http://www.delcotimes.com/opinion/20140201/editorial-keystones-goal-education-funding-property-tax-reform

“It won’t be long before it is impossible for most districts to cut enough to pay for the increase and maintain any type of education program that could be considered high quality.”

What do Groundhog Day and the pension debate have in common?: John Callahan

PennLive Op-Ed By John Callahan on January 29, 2014 at 4:30 PM

John Callahan is the Senior Director of Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

Like the inevitable time loop in the movie "Groundhog Day," once again we recognize that Pennsylvania’s escalating public pension crisis has not gone away and that the General Assembly, like anchorman Phil Connors, has one more opportunity to relieve the growing burden on state and local school district budgets. Will legislators be able to break the cycle and finally enact meaningful pension reform?

http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/01/what_do_groundhog_day_and_the_pension_debate_have_in_common_john_callahan.html

SB1085: Wissahickon School Board to draft proposal in opposition to state Senate charter school bill

By ERIC DEVLIN, edevlin@21st-centurymedia.com 01/30/14, 5:59 PM EST |

A proposed bill in the state Senate about changes to charter school regulations concerned some officials in the Wissahickon School District. The Wissahickon School Board directed Solicitor Scott Wolpert to draft a proposed resolution in opposition to Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1085 during its Jan. 27 meeting. The board will consider the draft resolution during its Feb. 10 meeting.

The letter, according to board member Ron Stoloff, would confront a number of potential problems with the proposed bill in terms of new regulations for charter schools.

“The bill is set up to, it’s called a reform of the charter regulation,” he said. “But there are at least four sections in there that would reform us right into the poor house. It would do some major damage.”

http://www.thereporteronline.com/social-affairs/20140130/wissahickon-school-board-to-draft-proposal-in-opposition-to-state-senate-charter-school-bill

Have you considered signing this petition yet?

PENNSYLVANIA PROPERTY TAX PAYERS: OPPOSE PROPOSED SB1085 CHARTER SCHOOL LAW REFORM

Petition by Denise Kurnas

To be delivered to The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Corbett

This petition is designed to keep charter school oversight in local district control instead of allowing other entities or the Pennsylvania Department of Education to spend our property tax dollars without input from our locally elected school board officials.

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/pennsylvania-property

EPLC EDUCATION NOTEBOOK Friday, January 31, 2014

Education Policy and Leadership Center

http://www.eplc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Education-Notebook-14-03-01-31-141.pdf

Register Now! EPLC’s Education Policy Forums on Governor Corbett’s 2014-2015 State Budget Proposal for Education

The next EPLC education policy forums will be held on the following days and in the following locations. These forums will take place shortly after Governor Corbett’s February 4th presentation of his proposed 2014-15 state budget and will focus on his plans for education.

Thursday, February 13, 2014 – Pittsburgh, PA

Monday, February 24, 2014 – Philadelphia, PA

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 – State College, PA

Thursday, February 27, 2014– Harrisburg, PA

Space is limited for each event and an RSVP is required. Anyone wishing to receive an invitation should inquire by contacting The Education Policy and Leadership Center at staff@eplc.org or 717-260-9900.

Educators hope to not repeat Corbett's first three budgets

Scranton Times Tribune BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL AND MICHAEL BUFFER (STAFF WRITERS) February 2, 2014

Since Tom Corbett became governor, school districts in Northeast Pennsylvania have seen their funding slashed by $143.8 million. Educators hope to see some of those funds restored when the governor unveils his proposed 2014-15 budget on Tuesday. If reform to the state's pension system is not made and districts do not see an increase in funds, area superintendents fear more teaching jobs will be cut and programs eliminated. "If this trend continues, they will literally bankrupt school districts across the state," Scranton Superintendent William King said. "We have a responsibility to educate the populous, to educate our children. My sense and feeling is that at least at the state level, we're not meeting that obligation."

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/educators-hope-to-not-repeat-corbett-s-first-three-budgets-1.1627501?utm_campaign=educationtt&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterfeed

Governor Corbett Tours East Pennsboro KinderCare, Announces $10 Million Proposal to Expand Quality Early Learning
PDE Press Release January 30, 2014
Enola – Governor Tom Corbett today previewed a 2014-15 budget proposal that will increase funding in the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program by $10 million, allowing approximately 1,670 additional Pennsylvania pre-school children to access high-quality early learning.

The additional $10 million would bring total increased investment in Pre-K Counts under the Corbett Administration to $13.6 million, or 16.3 percent.

“By investing in quality early learning programs, especially for our at-risk children, we can produce better outcomes for children later in life, helping them to be more prepared for any path they take,” Corbett said. “During my time in office, more children than ever before have enrolled in high-quality early learning programs.”

Read more here

Donations save Northeast High School's space program

KRISTEN A. GRAHAM, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Sunday, February 2, 2014, 1:09 AM

Budget cuts scrubbed Northeast High School's acclaimed space research program. Supporters saved it. On Monday - just a few weeks after The Inquirer reported that the Philadelphia School District's budget crunch had killed the trailblazing, NASA-recognized program - it will resume operation. Alumni and friends of "SPARC," as the program is known, have funded it for the rest of the school year with plans to update outdated technology, find industry partnerships, and ensure its long-term survival. More than $13,000 has been raised.

A 'promise' of support for a West Philadelphia neighborhood

thenotebook by Sameer Rao on Jan 31 2014 Posted in Latest news

Philadelphia is one of five areas nationwide that have been selected to be designated as Promise Zones, a federal initiative announced in January by President Obama to accelerate efforts to revitalize neighborhoods suffering from high unemployment, poverty, and crime, and low educational attainment. Philadelphia’s designation covers the Mantua neighborhood in West Philadelphia and parts of surrounding communities. According to a press release from the Mayor’s Office of Communications, the Promise Zone’s borders are the Schuylkill River on the east, Girard Avenue on the north, 48th Street to the west, and Sansom Street to the south.

Within the Promise Zone are more than a dozen schools, which could benefit as a result of the designation.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/146871/west-philadelphia-neighborhood-designated-promise-zone-obama-administration

The school is one of 13 in Philadelphia that takes over-age, undercredited youth who have dropped out of school and tries to get them back on track for graduation.

Accelerated schools keep focus on individualized help

thenotebook by Paul Jablow on Jan 31 2014 Posted in Latest news

Before graduating from Neumann University last year, Brooke Monaghan did her student teaching at Haverford Middle School, which she had attended herself. She liked it there but sensed that she wanted her first job to be different. “I saw that in a big middle school, students can be embarrassed,” she says. So Monaghan went to a place about as different from Haverford as you can find in the area’s educational world: the Ombudsman South accelerated school, located in a storefront in a South Philadelphia strip mall.

http://thenotebook.org/blog/146870/accelerated-schools-keep-focus-individualized-help

Another Susquehanna Twp. School Board member calls for resignations of two district administrators

By Julianne Mattera | jmattera@pennlive.com on February 01, 2014 at 3:08 PM

Susquehanna Twp. School Board member Carol Karl said Saturday she is calling for the resignations of Superintendent Susan Kegerise and Assistant Superintendent Cathy Taschner.

Karl is the second school board member to advocate for that. Taschner and Kegerise could not immediately be reached for comment on the matter. School board Vice President Jesse Rawls Sr. called for Kegerise's and Taschner’s resignations Friday shortly after Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico announced the grand jury’s findings.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/another_susquehanna_twp_school.html#incart_river

Easton Area School Board to consider charter school next week

By Rudy Miller | The Express-Times on February 01, 2014 at 5:10 PM

The Easton Area School District superintendent says he wishes the organizers of a proposed charter school would work with the district rather than launching a new school plan.

Superintendent John Reinhart said charter schools drain resources from public schools while providing no return to the district.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2014/02/easton_area_school_board_to_co_3.html#incart_river

State senators request $300M for public schools

Philadelphia Tribune Written by Wilford Shamlin III Thursday, 30 January 2014 19:22

Philadelphia’s Democratic Senate delegation called on their colleagues in Harrisburg to reinstate $300 million in funding cuts for public schools statewide on Thursday.

Five Senate Democrats are asking Republican Gov. Tom Corbett to restore key line items in his upcoming budget proposal for the 2014-15 fiscal year. They made the announcement at a press conference held at the headquarters for Philadelphia’s school district, which is operating under serious debt. “We have to be clever in finding ways to put it back,” Sen. LeAnna Washington said, prior to the press conference. “We’re talking about textbooks. We’re talking about computer labs and things that are very important to our children having a quality education. It’s our responsibility to educate our children and give them a safe environment and all the tools they need.”

http://www.phillytrib.com/newsarticles/state-senators-request-$300m-for-public-schools.html

Aiming to halt predators in schools, 'passing the trash' measure stalls in Pa.

WHYY Newsworks BY MARY WILSON JANUARY 31, 2014

A Pennsylvania lawmaker is frustrated that his bill to prevent child abuse in schools has been mothballed by the state House. The measure aims to end what's called "passing the trash," said state Sen. Anthony Hardy WiIliams, D-Philadelphia.

"Known adults, who have been involved in sexual misconduct with children have been caught at schools --- but because parents choose not, don't want to, and frankly want to protect their children, they don't want to engage in the judicial system -- and are allowed to escape without penalty or consequence," Williams said. Under his plan, schools would take on a more rigorous background check process.

While the plan has passed the Senate, and cleared a House committee last fall, it hasn't budged since. The bill hasn't advanced because one House member is considering an amendment to strengthen the background check requirement, according to a spokesman for the House GOP.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/64477-aiming-to-halt-abuse-of-kids-passng-the-trash-stalls-in-pa?linktype=hp_topstory

GOP Lawmaker: Give $250M Subsidy for Rich Horse Owners to Rich School Districts Instead

Keystone Politics Posted on January 31, 2014 by Jon Geeting #

One of the more inequitable and depressing things that’s been happening during the Corbett administration is that we’ve been giving $250 million a year in subsidies to rich horse owners while gutting our schools. The Race Horse Development Fund (RHDF) takes $250 million of casino slot revenues and allocates it toward “enhancing” prize money at horse race tracks because ??!?1??

http://www.keystonepolitics.com/2014/01/gop-lawmaker-give-250m-subsidy-rich-horse-owners-rich-school-districts-instead/

Mt. Pleasant school board to vote on spending plan

The Tribune-Review By Rachel Basinger Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, 12:04 a.m.
Mt. Pleasant Area School Board this week voted to make the 2014-15 preliminary budget available for inspection and to advertise the intent to adopt the preliminary spending plan at its Feb. 10 board meeting. Acting Business Manager Brent Filak said the district had to have the proposed preliminary budget available for inspection at least 10 days before any action could be taken. The proposed budget shows expenditures around $31,897,000 and revenues are set at approximately $30,260,000. The proposed budget shows the use of $750,000 from the fund balance added to those revenues to bring the proposed approximate deficit to about $887,000.

Saucon Valley board, teachers agree on tentative contract

Both sides have been negotiating since 2012.

By Jacqueline Palochko, Of The Morning Call 9:48 p.m. EST, January 31, 2014

Two years of contract negotiations could possibly come to an end soon between the Saucon Valley School Board and its teachers. Superintendent Sandra Fellin said Friday the two sides have reached a tentative contract. Details will remain confidential until the teachers ratify the agreement on Feb. 24 and the board approves it on Feb. 25.

EDITORIAL: Escalating Easton school budget calls for drastic plan of action

By Express-Times opinion staff on January 30, 2014 at 6:45 AM

How did this happen? The Easton Area School District is facing the worst of outcomes for a current-year budget crisis — laying off 56 teachers, cutting music instruction, increasing class sizes, charging families for extracurricular activities …… and still increasing taxes, by at least 2.7 percent. All to support a district that, having already furloughed a large portion of its faculty, can be expected to continue a year-by-year downward slide.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/01/editorial_easton_school_budget.html#incart_most-comments

Judges reinstates drug testing policy in Delaware Valley School District

Scranton Times-Tribune BY TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER (STAFF WRITER) Published: February 1, 2014

Delaware Valley School District students who wish to participate in sports, extracurricular activities or drive to school can be required to undergo drug testing, a Pike County judge ruled.

The decision, issued Jan. 21 by President Judge Joseph Kameen, vacates an injunction he issued in 2011 that temporarily halted the district from implementing the controversial drug policy that was challenged by American Civil Liberties Union.

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/judges-reinstates-drug-testing-policy-in-delaware-valley-school-district-1.1627050?utm_campaign=educationtt&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=twitterfeed

PSBA White Paper: The costs of charter and cyber charter schools

Updated January 2014

Research and policy implications for Pennsylvania school districts

White Paper by PSBA’s Education research & Policy Center

This week PSBA’s Education Research and Policy Center issued an update to its charter school funding white paper this week, originally published in October 2010. The net cost to districts for students attending charter schools increased from $434 million in 2006-07 to $1.145 billion in 2011-12. The financial analysis indicates the need for several changes to the current charter law related to funding.

http://www.psba.org/issues-advocacy/issues-research/research-resource-center/Charter_School_Funding-White-Paper_Update_2014.pdf

Franklin & Marshall College Poll

Survey of Pennsylvanians Summary of Findings

Prepared by: Center for Opinion Research, Floyd Institute for Public Policy

January 30, 2014

The January 2014 Franklin & Marshall College Poll of Pennsylvania registered voters finds a majority (62%) believes the state is “off on the wrong track” and only one in four (23%) believes Governor Tom Corbett has performed sufficiently well to deserve re-election. The survey also finds that President Obama’s job approval ratings (30%) in Pennsylvania are the lowest since he took office in January 2009. Nearly one in three (31%) registered voters believes unemployment and the economy is the state’s most important problem, followed by schools and school funding (19%).

http://www.fandm.edu/uploads/media_items/january-2014-franklin-marshall-college-poll-release.original.pdf

In New York, a different type of school choice…..

Funds Meant for Charters May Be Diverted to Pre-K

New York Times By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ JAN. 31, 2014

Ms. Fariña said the money for charter schools, combined with a $310 million infusion from a state bond proposed last month by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, would be used to build space for about 2,100 prekindergarten students and expand existing programs. Richard Perry/The New York Times New York City’s schools chancellor announced her intention on Friday to shift money away from charter schools to help pay for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s expansion of prekindergarten programs. The chancellor, Carmen Fariña, in describing the Education Department’s $12.8 billion capital plan, said she would seek to redirect $210 million that had been reserved for classroom space for charter schools and other nonprofit groups. The money, spread out over five years, would instead be used to create thousands of new prekindergarten seats, helping fulfill Mr. de Blasio’s signature campaign promise.

The decision was an opening salvo in what many expect to be a long battle between the de Blasio administration and charter schools. The mayor is an unabashed critic of the schools, which are publicly financed but privately run. He has argued that the city should focus its resources on traditional public schools. Charter school advocates quickly denounced the administration’s decision.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/nyregion/funds-meant-for-charters-may-be-diverted-to-pre-k.html?ref=education

The trouble with calls for universal ‘high-quality’ pre-K

Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog BY VALERIE STRAUSS February 1 at 5:00 am

Whenever policymakers talk about universal preschool — and that is happening more frequently these days — they always say that it must be “high quality,” but they never explain what that actually means. Here author Alfie Kohn explains why the absence of definition may be troubling. Kohn is the author of 13 books about education and human behavior, including “The Schools Our Children Deserve,” “The Homework Myth,” and, due out later this spring, “The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom About Children and Parenting.” He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/01/the-trouble-with-calls-for-universal-high-quality-pre-k/

NSBA featured in major media on school choice concerns

NSBA School Board News Today by Joetta Sack-Min|January 31st, 2014

After Republicans introduced legislation that would allow states to send up to $24 billion in federal funding toward school choice programs, National School Boards Association (NSBA) Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel offered a reality check on the performance of charter schools, vouchers, and other measures. Gentzel appeared on Fox News and was quoted in The Washington Post and The New York Times stories on the measure. “We certainly haven’t seen any consistent evidence anywhere in the country that these kinds of programs are effective or producing better results,” said Gentzel, who appeared on a segment during Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on the Senate proposal, introduced this week by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.).

http://schoolboardnews.nsba.org/2014/01/nsba-featured-in-major-media-on-school-choice-concerns/

F.C.C. Says It Will Double Spending on High-Speed Internet in Schools and Libraries

New York Times By EDWARD WYATT FEB. 1, 2014

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission will double the amount of money it devotes to adding high-speed Internet connections in schools and libraries over the next two years, in an effort to meet President Obama’s promise to provide broadband service for an estimated 20 million American students in 15,000 schools, officials said Saturday.

Financing for the new spending will come from restructuring the $2.4 billion E-Rate program, which provides money for “advanced telecommunications and information services” using the proceeds of fees paid by telecommunications users. The proportion that goes to broadband service in schools and libraries will increase to $2 billion a year from $1 billion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/us/fcc-says-it-will-double-spending-on-high-speed-internet-in-schools-and-libraries.html?ref=education&_r=0

“Among the changes approved Friday was a mandate that teachers or professors be given priority for serving on the textbook review panels for subjects in their areas of expertise. They also enable the board to appoint outside experts to check objections raised by review panels and ensure they are based on fact, not ideology.”
Texas board approves textbook review rule changes

Philly.com by WILL WEISSERT, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Friday, January 31, 2014, 4:05 PM

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Texas Board of Education imposed tighter rules Friday on the citizen review panels that scrutinize proposed textbooks, potentially softening fights over evolution, religion's role in U.S. history and other ideological matters that have long seeped into what students learn in school. Tension over the issue has been building for years in the country's second most populous state, where the textbook market is so large that changes can affect the industry nationwide. Critics complain that a few activists with religious or political objections have too much power to shape what the state's more than 5 million public school students are taught.

Register Now! EPLC’s 2014 Education Issues Workshops for Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff, and Interested Voters

EPLC’s Education Issue Workshops Register Now! – Space is Limited!
A Non-Partisan One-Day Program for Pennsylvania Legislative Candidates, Campaign Staff and Interested Voters

Tuesday, February 25, 2014 in Harrisburg, PA
Wednesday, March 19, 2014 in Monroeville, PA
Thursday, March 27, 2014 in Philadelphia,PA

http://www.eplc.org/2014/01/register-now-eplcs-education-issues-workshop-for-legislative-candidates-campaign-staff-and-interested-voters/

Come to Harrisburg February 4^th for the Governor's Budget Address

Show your School Spirit with PCCY!

On February 4th the Governor will introduce his budget plan for 2014-2015. Based on past performance, the next budget may do little to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s public school students. School districts in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery remain underfunded by the state by a combined $161 million. That is why we need YOU to stand up for your school in Harrisburg on February 4th to demand equitable funding for our schools. To really make our point, please wear local school colors, jackets or sweatshirts to show your school spirit!

Click here to sign-up and get details. For more information please email Shanee Garner-Nelson at shaneeg@pccy.org.

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51084/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=75391

PDE chief Dumaresq LIVE budget presentation, PSBA Conference Center, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m

PSBA’s website 1/13/2014

Acting Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq will be at the PSBA Conference Center on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. to present a special state budget overview.

Find out how the proposals of the fiscal year 2014-15 Pennsylvania budget impact your school district the day after the governor delivers his address to the General Assembly. Secretary Dumaresq will review the governor's plan and answer your questions. In addition to the live presentation, members across the state also can participate through streaming media on their computers.

To register for the LIVE event, Wed., Feb. 5, 2 p.m., at the PSBA Conference Center, Mechanicsburg: https://www.psba.org/workshops/register/?workshop=150

To register for the WEB event: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7884287076736574210

- See more at: http://www.psba.org/news-publications/headlines/details.asp?id=6842#sthash.6jG84BK0.dpuf

Auditor General DePasquale to Hold Public Meetings on Ways to Improve Charter Schools

Seeks to find ways to improve accountability, effectiveness, transparency

The public meetings will be held:

Allegheny County: 1 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 25, Commissioners Hearing Room, Ross Township Municipal Center, 1000 Ross Municipal Rd., Pittsburgh
Northampton County: 1 to 3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 27, City Council Chambers, 6th Floor, City Hall, One South Third St., Easton
Cambria County: 1 to 3 p.m., Thursday, March 6, Commissioners Meeting Room, Cambria County Court House, 200 South Center St., Ebensburg
Bucks County: 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, March 7, Township of Falls Administrative Building, Suite 100, 188 Lincoln Highway, Fairless Hills
NEW: Philadelphia: 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, March 14, City Council Chambers, Room 400, City Hall

Time is limited to two hours for each meeting. Comments can be submitted in writing by Wednesday, Feb. 19, via email to Susan Woods at: swoods@auditorgen.state.pa.us.

http://www.auditorgen.state.pa.us/Department/Press/PRPublicMeetings01152014.html

2014 PA Gubernatorial Candidate Plans for Education and Arts/Culture in PA

Education Policy and Leadership Center

Below is an alphabetical list of the 2014 Gubernatorial Candidates and links to information about their plans, if elected, for education and arts/culture in Pennsylvania. This list will be updated, as more information becomes available.

http://www.eplc.org/2014-gubernatorial-candidate-plans-for-education-and-artsculture-in-pa/

The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools invites you to a screening and discussion of "Standardized: Lies, Money, and Civil Rights".

Thursday, February 6 - 6:00 p.m.Ritz East - 125 S. 2nd St. Philadelphia, PA

There will be a discussion after the film. Special Guests: - Mark Naison Professor of History and Chair of African and African-American Studies, Fordham University; author of Pure Bronx. He is the founder of the national Badass Teachers Association. Jim Horn Founder of the Schools Matter blog. He is author of "The Mismeasure of Education".
Tickets are $9.00 and can be purchased at Rockfish Productions.
https://sites.google.com/site/rockfishproductions/Films/standardized-lies-money-civil-rights/screenings-for-standardizedOnline is recommended because if it sells out there may not be tickets available at the door.
The trailer for the film https://sites.google.com/site/rockfishproductions/standardized-background-info

NPE National Conference 2014

The Network for Public Education

The Network for Public Education is pleased to announce our first National Conference. The event will take place on March 1 & 2, 2014 (the weekend prior to the world-famous South by Southwest Festival) at The University of Texas at Austin. At the NPE National Conference 2014, there will be panel discussions, workshops, and a keynote address by Diane Ravitch. NPE Board members – including Anthony Cody, Leonie Haimson, and Julian Vasquez Heilig – will lead discussions along with some of the important voices of our movement.

Details and registration here: http://www.networkforpubliceducation.com/conference/

The National School Boards Association 74^th Annual Conference & Exposition April 5-7, 2014 New Orleans

The National School Boards Association 74^th Annual Conference & Exposition will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. Our first time back in New Orleans since the spring of 2002!

General Session speakers include education advocates Thomas L. Friedman, Sir Ken Robinson, as well as education innovators Nikhil Goyal and Angela Maiers.

We have more than 200 sessions planned! Colleagues from across the country will present workshops on key topics with strategies and ideas to help your district. View our Conference Brochure for highlights on sessions and focus presentations.

· Register now! – Register for both the conference and housing using our online system.

· Conference Information– Visit the NSBA conference website for up-to-date information

· Hotel List and Map - Official NSBA Housing Block

· Exposition Campus – View new products and services and interactive trade show floor

Questions? Contact NSBA at 800-950-6722 (NSBA) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST.

Join the National School Boards Action Center Friends of Public Education

Participate in a voluntary network to urge your U.S. Representatives and Senators to support federal legislation on Capitol Hill that is critical to providing high quality education to America’s schoolchildren

http://nsbac.org/?page_id=1873

Keystone State Education Coalition

Pages

Sunday, February 2, 2014

PA Ed Policy Roundup for February 2, 2014: In New York, a different type of school choice…..

NPE National Conference 2014

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